A surprise encounter

Spurn is one of the best places in Yorkshire to witness the spring and autumn bird migrations, so we're quite used to some wonderful and rare sightings. But when the first report of a pine marten on the peninsula reached us at the Discovery Centre in April, we'll be honest - we were a little sceptical.

Pine martens are mostly a woodland dwelling species and Spurn is a sandy peninsula dominated by dunes and scrub. However, reports of the Spurn pine marten seen near the visitors centre and also at the tip of the peninsula continued. As a nature reserve popular with photographers and wildlife watchers, it was only a matter of time before we saw the evidence too!

The first photos came thanks to Spurn Bird Observatory’s (SBOT) Paul Willoughby, whose amazing images confirmed that the reports were true, and with some investigations, revealed the epic journey that this individual took!

Over the next few weeks, the pine marten was seen several times along the length of the reserve. This 4.2 mile journey from Spurn Bird Observatory’s ranger building at the base of Spurn to the the tip of the point also includes over 1200 meters (0.75 miles) of beach and a hazardous wash over that separates the end of the peninsula from the mainland at high tide.

Pine martens have large territories so the area covered at Spurn was quite typical - but until we knew more about the real journey this individual had taken, it looked to be making some significant and regular excursions around Spurn. 

More about pine martens

Pine martens are elusive and rare mammals, which are found in Wales, Shropshire and the north of the UK, particularly in Scotland. They are more at home in diverse woodlands, but rely on a mosaic of varied habitats for survival including open areas where they forage for their most common food source - small mammals.

These cute creatures look similar to stoats, which are commonly seen throughout the UK. However, the pine marten is much larger with a long bushy tail and large rounded ears. They are mostly nocturnal  but are regularly spotted outside of their dens (which they make in tree holes, disused squirrel dreys or even old bird nests) in the daytime.